


Tick Oneshots

by Obsessedminddumpster



Category: The Tick (TV 2017), The Tick - Fandom
Genre: Episode: s01e24 Callen G, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2020-03-07 05:00:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 16,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18866212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsessedminddumpster/pseuds/Obsessedminddumpster
Summary: I'm very upset that The Tick was cancelled on Amazon Prime. #Savethetick!Another thing better pick it up!Anyway, I feel too unmotivated to make a hekkin 20+ part, story-driven fanfic, but not to make one shots every now and then.Some of these might be really cool and really awesome and have good narration and good description. Others will just be fluff or passion or whatever I'm feeling. The more depressed I get, the more passion! Because I'm drowning out my pain with good stuff that makes me happy!!Anyway, check out my other books if you haven't already. They're all Ticthur and pretty long.Enjoy these oneshots! Don't forget to leave some feedback!Started - 5/17/19Ended -





	1. Hero

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for Language Arts class. It had to start with "once upon a time" and I also used more complex words than I would usually put into a fic.

Once upon a time, a hero made his way to his villain. An exasperated hero, tiredly pulling himself from his inert wishes and trudging to the ominous castle of the mercenary.

The reason he was so tired was because this entire thing was just one big fiasco. A gigantic flop. He knew the only thing to befall him after entering the castle would be a steadfast fall into the abyss of failure, where the only dregs of him would be old news articles and smudged fame.

Still, he carried on, because the villain had his best friend. He entered the castle and used the lights on his helmet to see. He scanned the darkness. 

There was nothing there. It was large, open, and empty. A staircase was in the center of the room. He approached the staircase, then willed himself to climb it. 

It was so dark and cold and his lack of strength didn’t make him feel safe. He was vulnerable. He was always vulnerable. Right now, he was just a vulnerable man, wandering around in a super suit, and praying to whatever being was out there that he could just get his friend and go. 

He couldn’t feel safe unless the mountain of a man he called his best friend was standing beside him, and they were running out of the home of the villain that put them and their lives at jeopardy. 

“Hey?” He called. His voice sounded hollow and scared. He tried to make a strong face, but that was just a veneer to hide how scared he was. “Mr. Villain? I’m here!” He called, reaching the top of the staircase.

If he wasn’t stocked full of anxiety, adrenaline, and coffee, the climb would’ve probably been enough to knock him out of commission for a bit. 

In the middle of the room stood the man he was after. His best friend was there, too, laying against the wall in the corner. He was probably unconscious.

“It took you long enough, Moth-Man.” The villain said with a mocking sort of tone. 

“I-I know. It’s Arthur, by the way. Can I have him back?” He didn’t want to fight. He looked in the corner, where The Tick was. That was the only place he could stare. His friend was lying in the corner, slumped, unconscious, in a state that Arthur had never seen or imagined him in before.

“No, Arthur. You can not.” 

They stood in silence for awhile. Arthur pushed his glasses up. 

“Are you going to fight me?” The villain asked.

“I don’t know if I can.”

They stared at each other for a few more seconds, then Arthur took off his glasses and activated his goggles instead.

“Hold on a moment.” He mumbled. He started shaking his head, scanning icons in his goggles.

“Take your time. Is this your first battle? Boy, sure hope I don’t kill you. That would be dreadful!”

“I’m getting there.” Arthur said.

He landed on his hand tasers, then nodded. The helmet trilled as the option activated. His hands felt electric. 

Hand tasers were about the only things he could use in this overpowered suit. It wasn’t made for him, and he wasn’t made for it.

“Okay. Are we going to fight?” Arthur shook his hands. The growing tension in his palms needed to be released before he started feeling buzzy.

“Yeah.”

They stood there.

Silent.

“You go first.” The villain said.

“That’s kind. I don’t know how to rush into battle, though. Like…” He twisted his body a little. “Like this?”

“That looks about right!”

Arthur jumped, because the voice was loud, clear, and booming. Not the villain, but his best friend, who was still sitting against the wall, holding himself weakly. He looked absolutely ill. It made Arthur’s heart hurt. That man was a real superhero. He should’ve been fighting. Arthur was just his weak sidekick.

“Okay.” Arthur made himself sound serious. “Okay. Tick, Tick, Can you move?” Tick shook his head. “Okay. Okay. I got this. Don’t worry. We’ve been training.” 

Arthur rushed to the villain, who held out his hand and knocked Arthur in the head, making him fall down.

Maybe he didn’t quite have it. He pulled himself up and scrambled to get to his friend. He could at least make sure the brute of the team was actually alright.

“Are you okay? Tick? You need to get up. Come on. Can you move? What’s wrong?”

Arthur checked the body of his friend just to make sure he was alright, then looked back up at the villain, who was standing in the center of the room, big, purple cape surrounding him and making him look so much bigger.

“I think you have to fight him yourself.” Tick said. They looked each other in the eye. The connection the two had made Arthur feel a false sense of power.

He stood up and shook his hands. He felt light headed. He approached the villain again, blocked a hit, then smacked him with his tasers. 

The villain fell onto the ground and trembled. After all, under all of his scary clothes and bad intentions, he was only human, and tasers hurt.

While he laid on the ground, Arthur ran over to Tick and nuzzled himself under his friend's arm. With all of his strength, Arthur pulled him to his feet.

The villain would've woken up and got them if they ran to the door, so Arthur pulled Tick to the window, hugged him tight, then jumped out. 

His wings barely worked with all of the weight. It merely glided them, then Tick was on the ground, and Arthur was still hugging him.

He let go and took Tick's hand. His heart was still aching. He could barely stomach seeing Tick like this. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know what that mad man has done to me, Chum." Tick pushed himself up. "But I need to get up there and fight him."

"No." Arthur said. But Tick was right. They needed to get back up there and put a stop to that menace. 

Arthur hugged Tick again. He held him tightly. "Stay here. I can do it."

"Are you sure?" Tick asked, embracing him. 

"I'm sure." Arthur nodded and got up. "You sit back and recover. I'm a hero. I can do this."

Tick nodded. "I'm going in after you in a few minutes."

Arthur smiled and activated his wings, then flew back up. 

He was going to win this. 

For The Tick.


	2. Cold Night

Arthur's feet shuffled under him as he walked down the street. It was so silent and dark out. He wondered how Tick was doing.

He put his hood up and zipped his jacket. 

It was late. About midnight, and Arthur was freezing. 

He'd woken up a few hours earlier after a very unsettling dream. He had to go out and make sure everything was okay in the world. He had to make sure Dot and Walter and mom were okay. 

Now he was regretting going out. It was just his anxieties forcing him to check himself so he wouldn't end up sitting in bed for three hours feeling panicked and weird about if everything was okay.

He got to the building, then quietly shuffled to his apartment. He unlocked the door and walked inside.

He locked the door again, took off his shoes, and hung up his jacket, then walked forward and looked around the corner for Tick. 

Tick was sitting on the couch. He was slumped back, eyes closed, breathing low. He was definitely asleep.

Arthur walked over to the couch and sat down beside Tick. He crawled under his big arm, then leant into his thick chest. He grabbed Tick's hand, planning on warming his own up. 

He snuggled into Tick and closed his eyes to fall asleep.

Tick sat up a little and looked at Arthur. He squeezed Arthur's hand and grabbed the blanket, wrapping it tightly around his friend. Tick made some sort of quite remark to himself about how cold Arthur felt. Then he pulled Arthur in and held him, leant back, and played with his hair as he went back to sleep.

Arthur was still awake. He was blushing and smiling. Tick was so sweet. Arthur decided to get closer. He crawled up onto Tick's lap and then laid his head against his chest. He hugged Tick. Tick wrapped an arm around him, keeping the other hand in his curls. 

"Goodnight, Arthur…" Tick whispered. His voice was very quiet and tired sounding.

Arthur smiled, nuzzling his face into the crook of Tick's neck. "Goodnight, Tick."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, you absolute babes. Thank you for reading these stories. They are just so theraputic and nice to write. Thank you for all of your supportive and amazing comments on my other books and all of the kudos. I love, treasure, and care for all of you. Keep them coming, I'll try to keep the writing up.
> 
> With that being said, I'd love to know what you want to see in the future. Because this is a oneshot book, there can be so many possibilities of what I can write for you all. So many universes. So many situations. Every chapter can be a new adventure.
> 
> Give me ideas. What do you want to see Arthur and Tick doing in future chapters of this book? What scenarios do you want? What dialgogue do you want?  
> Do you want sad stories? Fluffy stories? Mysterious stories? Death stories? Teenager AU? Parent AU? What's your favourite AU? Maybe I'll write it!
> 
> I don't know if I'll do a smut for you. I know from my oneshot books on Wattpad that some people really like smut. I don't particurly. If that's what you want, I can make a passionate make out session lol.  
> My gay ass does love writing that good kissing shit. 
> 
> Anyway, let's work together on this. Give me your wishes, and I'll maybe write them! Thank you for your time. I love you. 🖤
> 
> ~ Sincerely, the gayest, most Ticthur obsessed teenager can you imagine. Leonard


	3. Out In The Ocean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I got carried away writing this one. It would be fun to turn into a bigger story.

"What do you even mean!?" Arthur yelled, staring up at Tick. His stress was as obvious as his hair colour. He was twitching and red in the face and completely exhausted.

Tick set his hand on Arthur's shoulder. "I mean what I mean. Exactly what I'm saying, Arthur!" 

"Don't even touch me." Arthur hissed, pulling away. 

Tick crossed his arms, staring thoughtfully at his friend. Arthur was just panicking. Who wouldn't panic? The two were meters upon meters deep underwater, in a giant metal box, slowly running out of air and sinking to the bottom.

Arthur looked like he was about to start sobbing. Tick stood in front of him. "Arthur. We need you right now. We need your clear, unbothered mind to get us out of this mess! How do we get out when the Plan Man is having a panic attack in the corner? We have to do something, or else it'll be over for the both of us. We're only getting deeper. "

Arthur held his face in his hands. "There's no way out of this, Tick. I can't even call anyone." He put on his helmet and scrolled to the phone icon in his goggles. It just kept telling him that it couldn't connect to anything. 

"Destiny is calling you, Chum. Pick up the helmet and answer her. Your destiny is to save us before there's no way out!"

Arthur looked up at Tick and met his eyes. "I don't think I can."

"You have to." Tick kneeled in front of Arthur and put a hand on his shoulder. They stared into each other's eyes. "And you will."

Arthur smiled a little. He looked away, blushing. "Maybe I can."

Arthur sat in that corner for awhile after that, with his head in his hands, thinking. 

They weren't just free falling to the sand below. There was a ship above that was slowly lowering them every few minutes. Arthur looked out of the window and determined that it would be a long way up, and the way down was only below half an hour away. 

Arthur would die if he tried swimming up to the top. Maybe Tick could jump them out of it. 

That was the only option.

Arthur began looking around for any sort of escape method. Finally, he found a panel on the roof.

"Tick." He called.

Tick looked at him. He was pacing back and forth in a corner, and was happy to hear he was needed.

"What is it?" He asked. 

"I'm gonna need you to rip that panel off. Immediately after you get it off, jump. Jump as high as you possibly can. Then we'll need to swim."

Arthur held out his arms. Without a second thought, Tick picked him up.

"Are you sure, Chum?" Tick asked. "The waters are very scary.

"I know. And I have a good chance of becoming something else's chum." Arthur looked at Tick. "But it's not like we have anything else to get us to the top."

"Okay. Ready…"

"Wait." Arthur cupped Tick's cheek and looked him in the eye. "This might not work out for me. But whatever you do, get to the surface. Even if it's without me. You're not allowed to drown."

"Neither are you." Tick said.

"It's probably gonna happen. And I have a feeling I might die anyway, if my suit isn't waterproof."

Tick's antennae drooped "You're not allowed to die."

"I can't promise anything..." He rubbed his thumb on Tick's cheekbone, staring at him for a moment, biting his lip. Finally he decided. Fuck it. He leant up and pressed their lips together, kissing him passionately. He tilted his head, and they both closed their eyes.

Arthur pulled away a few minutes later. His look had a loving expression for a moment, then he nodded. "Let's do this."

Tick ripped the panel from the box. He threw it to the ground, then bent his knees, and jumped. 

The water, of course, slowed him down. The first few seconds underwater felt very hectic. When he finally composed himself, Arthur wasn't in his arms anymore.

How could he lose Arthur? He looked around, but everything was so dark. He looked up. 

His lungs were burning. He wouldn't be okay if he looked around for Arthur. 

It was worth the risk. 

He spent a full three minutes looking around for Arthur, but then he started feeling like a piece of paper that someone was crumbling. 

He swam to the surface, praying Arthur would somehow be there already. 

He appeared above water and gasped, sputtering and coughing and trying to get air back into his body. 

"ARTHUR!" He screamed, distraught. He noticed how far the boat was. He didn't care if they heard him. 

Tick began crying, because the possibility of never seeing Arthur again was as real as ever. "ARTHURRRR!" He screamed again, with a strained voice. 

He stared at the darkness below. "It's for Arthur, Tick. For Arthur!" He breathed deeply. Although at this point, Tick was feeling very small, very hopeless, and very afraid of deep waters.

Just as he was about to go back down, he heard coughing. His antennae perked up and he looked around. There was a little grey helmet not too far, with two wet, orange feathers on top.

Tick wasted no time swimming to him. "Arthur!" He cried. He embraced him.

Arthur was shaking very badly. He held weakly onto Tick, gasping. 

"Tick…" He whispered. "Oh my gosh…"

Tick turned and Arthur wrapped his arms around his friend's shoulders. He laid his cheek down and wrapped his legs around Tick's waist.

"The weirdest thing happened…" Arthur whispered.

Tick started swimming to the boat of their enemies. It was their only option. "Oh, yeah? Tell me."

"When you jumped out, I got caught on the box and didn't go with you… Then I started trying to swim up, but I couldn't, and I just kept getting deeper…"

"Destiny sure did take her time bringing you to the surface, Arthur."

"It wasn't Destiny. It was someone else."

"Someone else?"

Arthur nodded. "I swear. Someone pulled me up here. It was a woman."

"Maybe you were hallucinating. I know I was." 

Arthur hugged Tick tightly. "No. I wasn't hallucinating. It was a mermaid or something."

"Mermaids don't exist." Tick frowned. 

"Neither do giant lobster moms from fucking AT-LAN-TA, TICK!"

"Fair point."

Tick grabbed onto a ladder in the back of the ship. He climbed up a few steps, then looked into the waters. "Whoever you are, thank you! I owe you my life!" He called.

The ocean was silent. He climbed up the ladder a bit more, when someone started yelling. 

"Then you might want to jump off that ladder before you lose it!" 

Tick looked up. Sure enough, people bad guns pointing down at them. He would've been fine. Arthur… Not so much.

Tick didn't take another moment diving into the water and swimming away. He resurfaced a bit away, his back to the ship. He kept Arthur in front of him. The men in the boat shot at them, then speeded away.

Now they were alone, gosh knows how far from land, without a boat. 

Tick held Arthur. "Try calling someone. Maybe you can reach them now. Climb onto my shoulders."

Arthur climbed onto his shoulders and sat there. He activated his goggles, scrolled to the phone, and clicked the program.

"Bless Karamazov!" Arthur exclaimed. "It's waterproof!"

"Hooray! Now call for help. Get us out of here!"

Arthur dialed a number. 

It rang a few times, then picked up.

"Dangerboat!" Arthur cried. "We need you to track our location and get here ASAP!"

"On it!" Dangerboat responded. 

Arthur could hear him telling Overkill to get his shit together because they got somewhere to be. Then he hung up when he heard the boat skipping through the water.

"We should be safe soon." Arthur whispered.

He closed his eyes and rested his chin on the top of Tick's head. 

He fell asleep. 

He woke up a while later. It was dark out. He was still bobbing on the water, safely resting on top of The Tick. 

He wasn't on his back anymore, though. Tick was laying on the water, and Arthur was curled up on his chest.

Tick was talking.

"We'll be safe soon." He said. "Our friend, Dangerboat-- and Mr Stabby-- are coming to get us. How long has it been?... Three hours? Sheesh, Magic. How far in the sea are we? Floating out here, surrounded by endless water, deadly, scary creatures, the darkest, scariest abyss I've ever faced just under my back. Is it okay to admit that I'm scared? Me, The Tick. I am very scared…" He pat Arthur's back. "My little Chum, shaking on my chest. Oh, Arthur. Look at how cold he is. He hasn't stopped shaking ever since you brought him to the surface."

And then a woman's voice responded. 

"You will be retrieved soon, Tick."

Tick whined and looked around. "Dangerboat, Dangerboat, where art thou Dangerboat…?"

Arthur looked up and scanned the water. A few yards away was a mermaid, watching them.

"Arthur!" Tick yelled. "You're awake!"

"I slept for three hours?" Arthur asked quietly.

"Oh, wow! How did you know? You're so smart. Magic, this is Arthur!" He looked at the mermaid. 

"Hello, Arthur. I am Marjëk."

"Hi…" Arthur mumbled meekly. 

He rested his head back down on Tick's chest and sighed. 

Tick took his hand. "Magic says she can sense Dangerboat nearby." He said. "It'll only be about another half an hour."

"Comforting…" Arthur whispered. He was so cold. Tick rubbed his back with his other hand. 

Tick closed his eyes and hummed.

Twenty minutes later, Arthur could see Dangerboat. It took another thirteen minutes for the boat to pick them up. Marjëk left before he arrived. 

Overkill pulled them onto the boat. 

"What in the fuck are you guys doing out in the middle of the ocean?!" Overkill yelled. Dangerboat closed the door and started heading back home.

"Please be quiet. I think Arthur is sick." Tick said worridly.

Overkill looked at Arthur. "He's fucking soaking." 

He went into another room and came back, giving Arthur some clothes and a blanket. "Go take a bath and change."

Arthur nodded and went to the shower. It was quite uneventful, and Dangerboat was too busy driving to watch him.

After he had a shower and was dressed, Overkill let him sleep on Dangerbed. Tick sat in the main room for awhile, then went to join Arthur. 

He closed the door as he walked inside and laid down on the bed. 

"We're alright." Tick said. 

Arthur looked up at him and smiled. He cupped his face and pulled him in, kissing him passionately. "Dear Destiny, never let that happen to us again." He whispered. 

Tick embraced him and kissed him back, not sure what it was but at the same time knowing that Arthur was doing it because he was excited and grateful.

Arthur pulled the blanket over himself and Tick. "I can't fucking believe it…" Arthur whispered against Tick's lips, placing his hands on his friend's body.

"What?"

"We're alright." Arthur took Tick's hand and started kissing his neck. "And I'm never letting go of you again."

Tick hummed and tilted his head, smiling. "I'll never let you go, either."

"I can't wait to get home." Arthur laid down against Tick. They kissed softly until Arthur fell asleep, and then Tick held him and rocked him back and forth, smiling.


	4. Sick Tick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this.  
> Sick Tick is precious.  
> I got a suggestion asking for this. Don't forget to leave more suggestions for chapters you'd like to see!

"A new day!" Tick put his hands on his hips and stared out the window. "Any minute now, the sun will rise upon The City again. Shine on us, and wake the children of Des--" He sneezed.

Arthur came up behind him. "You okay?"

"I ruined my morning speech!" Tick sounded distraught. He sneezed again. 

Arthur gave him a tissue box.

"I do not need tissues."

"No, come here." Arthur leant up and grabbed Tick's cheeks. "You're a little warm."

"You're warm." Tick put his hands on Arthur's waist. 

"I'll need to check your temperature." Arthur walked away. "I'll be back in a minute."

Tick watched him leave, then turned back to the window as a slim sliver of light shone onto his face. "The sun!" He announced. "Welcome! Oh, what a beautiful day today will be!" He crossed his arms. "Th--" He sneezed again. Tick shook his head. "Zoinks! I seem to have caught something! ARTHUR!"

Arthur hurried back over to Tick. He had Tick sit down, then put a little stick in his mouth. He waited a moment, took it out, and frowned.

"Zoinks is right, Tick. I think you're gonna have to take a day off."

"A day off?!" Tick's antennae stood up in shock, then drooped over his face. "I can't have a day off! That's not the superhero agenda!" He stood up and clapped his hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Look, Chum! The sun has risen! Let's get out there and do something!" 

Arthur crossed his arms. "No. Absolutely not." He shook his head and grabbed Tick's arm. He couldn't move Tick, but the superhero happily followed him to the bedroom. "Lay down."

"The stars are gone..." Tick mumbled, laying on his back. "I need to--" he sneezed again. Arthur pulled a blanket over him.

Tick grunted in disapproval. "I'm getting up."

"No."

They stared each other in the eye, then Tick sat up. Arthur crawled onto the bed. "Come on, Tick. Lay down with me." He laid down and whined. 

Tick stared blankly for a moment, then sighed. "Oh, my darling partner knows my weakness." He laid down on his side, facing Arthur. "Is this what you wanted?"

"Yes." Arthur pulled a blanket over The Tick. "Let's just lay here for awhile."

Tick shook his head. "Only five minutes."

Arthur was going to get him to lay down for more than five minutes. 

And he did, because Tick ended up falling asleep by the end of five minutes. 

Arthur tucked him in and got up. 

When Tick woke up, it was just turning ten. He felt groggy and dizzy and a lot sicker.

Tick got out of bed and ran to the window. "Did I fall asleep?!" He asked himself. "Arthur! Arthur! We need to go!"

Arthur came into the room and leant against the doorframe. "No."

Tick sneezed. He rubbed his eyes. "Ugh, not saving people has made me sick."

"Lay down." Arthur narrowed his eyes. Tick approached him.

"I have something to do." Tick responded. "Move over, Sunflower." He crossed his arms. 

Arthur crossed his arms and glared up at Tick. They stared at each other. 

Then Tick frowned and dropped his shoulders. He backed away, laid down on the bed, and pulled the blanket back up. 

Arthur nodded. "That's what I thought." He said. "I'm gonna make you some soup."

Tick rolled onto his side and hugged his knees. Arthur came back after a bit and handed him his soup. He ate it, then laid back down and stared solemnly at the wall.

He sighed loudly as Arthur got up to put the bowl away. 

Arthur put it in the kitchen, then came back. Tick sighed loudly again. 

Arthur sat down and put a hand on Tick's thigh. "Go to sleep."

"Sleep!" Tick remarked. "He wants me to sleep!"

"He does!" Arthur pulled the blanket up to Tick's chin. "Get to sleep."

"Okay, Arthur..." Tick grumbled.

Arthur leant over and pressed a kiss to Tick's cheek. "I love you." He whispered. 

Tick looked up at him and smiled. He turned over and took Arthur's hand. "I love you, too."

Tick laid his head on Arthur's lap and fell back asleep.


	5. Jacket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Big jacket little Arthur.

The door rang and Arthur perked up. He knew what who was there. A delivery person. Finally. He'd only been stalking the location of this package for the last two weeks. 

He had been cooking, so he cleared his hands and went to the door.

He signed it off, then was handed the thick bag. "Thank you." He said. 

"Arthur!" Tick called. He walked out to see the delivery man. "Who's he?"

The delivery man's eyes widened at seeing The Tick. What a coincidence that he would be the one to deliver to superheroes.

"Oh, just the delivery man." Arthur tossed Tick the passage. "Thank you again." He gave the man a tip, then closed the door. 

"What is it?" Tick held it up and shook it. "It doesn't make a noise." 

"It's a gift for you! I found it online and I thought you'd like it."

"Arthur! That's so sweet!" Tick opened the package. "What is it?" He pulled out a jacket.

The jacket was quite huge. A lot bigger than any of Arthur's jackets. 

"It's a jacket. It's supposed to be a joke product, but I thought it would fit you…"

Tick tried it on. He was beaming. "Wow! Look! It fits! It fits perfectly." He hugged Arthur. "This is very nice. It's so warm. Thank you."

Arthur hugged him back and kissed his cheek. "You're welcome." 

Tick looked at the jacket on himself, liking it. He zipped it up and it still fit. It was perfect.

"Wonderful. Thank you. Thank you." Tick was grateful for any gift from Arthur. He unzipped it and took it off. "Put it on, Arthur." He said. 

"What? It doesn't fit me." Arthur said. 

"I know." Tick pushed it towards him. "Put it on."

Arthur put it on. The jacket went down to his knees, and was super bulky and big. The sleeves went past his hands.

Tick hugged him and kissed his neck. "You're so tiny!" He said.

Arthur threw his arms around Tick. He connected their lips. "You're just huge." He mumbled. 

Tick smiled. "We should probably get back into the kitchen before we burn dinner."

"Probably." Arthur took off the jacket. "Here, have your jacket back." 

Tick tossed it onto the couch. "I'm gonna end up getting it messy if I wear it." He wrapped an arm around Arthur's thighs and picked him up. 

The next day, it was snowing out. Tick happily wore his jacket. He told everyone that Arthur had found it for him.


	6. A Big Blue Mess

Arthur wrapped his arms around Tick's shoulders and pulled him in, pressing their lips together. 

"Tick?" He whispered, pressed against the wall as they kissed.

Tick tilted his head and hummed. 

"Can we move to the couch?" He mumbled. Tick picked him up. 

"Yeah, of course."

Arthur wrapped his arms around Tick and kissed his neck. They walked into the living room. He put Arthur down and then sat down with him.

They started kissing again. Tick was looking for a place to put his hands. On Arthur's waist was his usual go-to spot, but that was a little blocked by Arthur's arm. He hovered his hand a little, then decided to hold Arthur's face, but he accidently knocked Arthur's hand away. 

Arthur opened his eyes. "Uh. Oops." Tick dropped his hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Moving… My hand…?" Tick said. 

Arthur smiled and took his hand. He put it on his cheek and leant into it. 

"Thank you…" Tick whispered. They continued kissing. 

A few minutes later, Tick started to feel uncomfortable on the couch. It was quite small for the position they were in. He moved so Arthur was laying on the couch and Tick was above him.

Arthur wrapped his arms around Tick's shoulders. He trailed his hand up and touched his antennae. 

Tick yelped and fell off of the couch in shock. Arthur sat up and looked down at him. 

Tick pushed himself up and bumped his head on the table. He grumbled something and got to his feet, bright red. 

Arthur started laughing. "I wasn't expecting that!" He said. 

"Neither was I!" Tick whined. He sat back down. "I'm not good at this." He admitted, leaning against the back of the couch and looking up at the ceiling.

Arthur couldn't stop giggling. He hugged Tick. "Oh, Tick." He mumbled, kissing Tick's cheek. 

He crawled onto Tick's lap. "We can go to the bed if you need a bigger area." Arthur brushed his hand against Tick's arm.

Tick rolled his eyes and got up, holding Arthur. He walked into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. 

"Is this better?" Arthur asked. 

"Yes." Tick took Arthur's hands and kissed him. 

"Tick!" Arthur whined.

"What? Oh! I'm holding you too tight! Oh no." He let go of Arthur's hands. 

"Jeez, you're a big mess today." Arthur rubbed his hands. "Relax a little."

Tick nodded. "Okay. I'm relaxed."

He moved forward, but Arthur stopped him. 

"Take a few deep breaths."

"Arthur." Tick sighed. 

"Tick." Arthur crossed his arms. 

Tick rolled his eyes and laid down. He took a few deep breaths, then Arthur laid down next to him and they cuddled.


	7. Suspicious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel kinda bad about this chapter. Had a good idea and executed it badly.

Arthur pat Tick's chest, then set both of his hands on his shoulders and looked sternly into his eyes. "Behave."

"When do I not?" Tick asked, smiling.

"More often than you'd think. I want you to sit, and just that. Sit down. You can talk, but don't get up. Don't get super loud. Don't get super confusing and weird."

Tick looked slightly confused, but he nodded. "Okay, Arthur."

Arthur pat Tick's arm and leant up. He kissed his cheek. "Ready?"

"I should be asking the same to you," Tick took both of Arthur's shaking hands. "Because I think you're more nervous than I am."

Arthur frowned and looked at the ground. "You're right."

"The Tick and Arthur!" Called a voice from another room. Arthur's cheeks started burning. He squeezed Tick's hands and took a deep breath.

"When you're ready, Chum." 

Arthur nodded, then walked onto stage. There was a sudden burst of applause. Clapping, whistling, yelling. The bright lights and loud noise were making Arthur dizzy.

Arthur sat down on the couch and Tick took a seat beside him. 

The audience calmed down and the host stood up from his chair. "Everyone, meet the surprise guests!" He said. The room erupted in sound again. 

When they got quieter, the host sat back down and looked at Arthur and Tick, who were sitting pretty close on the couch. Arthur was snuggled into Tick's arm. 

"You want to explain why you're here?" The host asked. 

Tick was quiet for a moment, then he turned to Arthur. "Why are we here, Arthur?"

A few people giggled in the audience.

Arthur cleared his throat. "Well, there's been some recent activities that we wanted to talk about with The City. Thankfully, Mr Hostman here was kind enough to bring us onto his show."

Tick's antennae bent. He rubbed Arthur's arm absently. "Illegal activities…?" He whispered. Arthur shook his head.

"No, not exactly illegal. And that's what makes it horrible."

"I, uh," Arthur stammered, then composed himself and continued. "We're here to talk about the LGBTQ+ community. There's been so much negativity pointed towards it recently and I wanted to get up somewhere public to talk."

He looked at Tick for a moment, squeezing his hand. Tick was hyper focused on the host. 

It was a little weird, but Arthur decided to ignore it for now. "As many of you might've heard, Tick and I are in a relationship together. As a couple with some publicity in this community where people could use some love right now, I want to become someone who can just… help all of you. Even if in the smallest ways. I'd love to sit down and talk with all of you.

"We're lucky enough to be in a city where things are widely accepted, but that doesn't mean things out in the rest of the world are going so well. I want to help them, t--"

"Arthur." Tick said.

Arthur stopped abruptly. He pat Tick's hand. "What?"

Tick leant over and whispered very quietly, covering his mic. "I don't trust the host. Something is wrong…"

"Oh." Arthur looked at the host. 

"Is there a problem?" Mr Hostman asked.

Tick's antennae curled and he pulled Arthur in, holding him protectively. He had a very serious, stern, protective look. 

Arthur wrapped an arm around Tick and kissed his cheek. "It's okay, baby." He smiled reassuringly at Tick, who responded by grumbling and holding Arthur close. 

"Is it?"

Arthur nodded and hugged Tick. He pulled away and continued talking. 

Arthur stood up a bit later. Tick looked at him for a moment, then got up and paced with him. 

Tick put his hand on Arthur's back and leant over, covering his mic again. "I think we should leave."

"We're not in danger." Arthur said, looking up at Tick. 

"My Tick senses are tingling."

"You don't have Tick sense."

Tick's antennae wiggled. "But what if I do?"

Arthur and Tick stood in the middle of the stage, staring into each other's eyes. Arthur turned back to the audience. "We're having Tick difficulties." He said. "I'll be back to answer questions in one moment."

"Seriously guys," Mr Hostman said. "Are you okay?"

Tick glared suspiciously at him. 

"We're fine." Arthur took Tick's hand and walked off stage with him. He muted their mics. 

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked. 

"I have a feeling that something's gonna go down here." Tick held Arthur's hand. "We should just leave."

"No, that's crazy. Nothing's wrong. These people paid money to get here. I don't want to send them back."

"Arthur." Tick pouted. "I'm so worried. It's not okay here. Can we leave? I feel uncomfortable." 

"You can leave, Tick, if you really don't like being here." He said. He kissed Tick's lips and smiled at him. "I love you."

Arthur went back in. 

Tick felt hopeless for a moment. He didn't know where else he would go. But there was this pool of anxiety filling up on the back of his mind. This wasn't just something he could forget.

He got back in, deciding that even if there was something to worry about, Arthur would know. 

Since patrolling often calmed him, he started pacing in the audience, around the spaces between seats. People watched him, crazy about how close he was. 

Arthur started answering questions. He was feeling a lot better on stage now.

Tick got to the back and then turned back to the stage. He saw something above the stage and squinted, then his eyes widened. "ARTHUR!" He yelled. He ran through the audience, but before he could get to the stage, he was stopped by a big explosion. He jumped over the nearest people and shielded them, pulling as many civilians as possible into his embrace. 

He saved five of them completely, and three were just covered enough to be safe. When everything stopped rattling, Tick helped them all up and pointed outside. "Get out there! Pick up anyone possible on the way. "

They stumbled out, and Tick helped some more people up before rushing to the stage. 

"Arthur?!" He yelled. He moved some debris and uncovered Arthur. He dropped to his knees and scooped his boyfriend up.

"Let him down!" Someone yelled.  

Tick looked up. It was a paramedic. 

"What?" Tick asked. 

"Let us get him. He's obviously hurt. Boys! One's over here!" She called. 

Some people rushed over with a stretcher. 

"What what?" Tick watched them take away Arthur. They put him in an ambulance. Tick got up and followed from the rooftops.

He followed it to the hospital and ran inside with them. "What's wrong with Arthur?" 

"Well, for one, he's been in an explosion." A nurse said. 

"He should be fine!" Tick said. They arrived at the ER and got Arthur into a room. "He's wearing his suit!"

"How do you get it off him?" A nurse asked. 

Tick pushed them away and cupped Arthur's black cheeks. He rubbed the soot away. "Arthur!"

Arthur jumped and opened his eyes. He looked up at Tick. 

Tick pulled him into a hug. "Are you okay?" He asked. 

"Guys, call security. Get Tick out of here." A nurse said.

Arthur sat up, clinging onto Tick. "I'm fine. I'm fine."

He winced, and Tick let him go. 

"I'll be on the roof." Tick leant in and pressed their lips together, kissing him sweetly. 

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, then the security guard entered. 

Tick jumped out of the window.

Arthur took off his suit. He was thanking it so much for keeping him safe. He was right under the bomb. It would've been a lot worse if he didn't have the suit. 

Hours later, Tick was allowed back in. "Are you alright?" He asked as he entered.

Arthur got up. He wobbled over to Tick and fell onto his chest. 

"Yeah. I'm fine." He embraced Tick tightly. "A little dizzy now." He leant up and pulled Tick's head down, kissing him. "Somewhat injured. I should be fine in a week. I was saved by the suit."

Tick put his hands on Arthur's waist and kissed him back. "I should've stood by you."

"You did more good protecting the other people."  Arthur cupped his face and kissed him again. 

"You should go to sleep." Tick said. He brought Arthur to the bed. Arthur laid down and nodded. He went to sleep.

Tick sat on a chair and stared at Arthur, feeling depressed. He couldn't believe he almost lost Arthur. Thank gosh he was alright. Tick got up and went to the window.

"Thank you." He said to Destiny. Then he went back to the bed and laid down with Arthur.


	8. The Cube

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I just watched the cartoon version of The Tick. This chapter is still 2017, but if you want me to make one for the cartoon version, tell me in the comments!

"Arthur! Quickly, that way!" Tick pointed and then began running. Arthur ran after him. 

"I'll get a view from above!"

Tick have a thumbs up. "Good idea, Chum! Scour the ground for this force of evil reckoning! Go, Arthur! Go!"

Arthur deployed his wings and jumped into the air. "Okay, Tick!" He said. He flew up and put his hand over his eyes, looking around. "Over there! Tick! To the left!"

"I've got it!" Tick swerved to the left and then dug his feet into the ground, skitting into a stop. He pointed. "Villain! SPOON!"

He lunged towards the villain, who dodged and ran behind Tick. "You'll never catch me alive, hahahahahah!!"

Arthur jumped onto the ground and stopped him. "Not so fast!" He pushed the villain back. "Fork!" He yelled.

The villain backed up into Tick. "What is with you two and screaming out silverware?!" He growled, as Tick picked him up. 

"It's our battlecry!" Tick said. "Now, villain! Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

"You know what!" Arthur said. 

"Oh, that it!" The villain laughed nervously. "Oh, only in my POCKET!" He pulled out a cube and pressed it.

"Tick! Cover your eyes!" Arthur held his arms in front of his face. Tick dropped the villain, who ran away, and covered his face. 

When it was safe, Arthur uncovered his eyes. He walked to Tick and put a hand on his arm. "Tick! Are you alright? Did it get you?"

Tick blinked slowly, then looked at Arthur. "Oh, hello, tiny bunny man." He said. He put his hand on Arthur's cheek, then fell onto his back. 

"Oh, no! It got you!"

Arthur wrapped his arms around Tick's chest. "Tick, get--"

"Are you my partner?" Tick asked. 

"God, alright, come on. We need to get you to the apartment." 

Tick stood up and followed Arthur to their apartment, dazed and confused. 

Arthur laid him on the couch. "Oh, Tick, oh, Tick, oh Tick." He paced a little, then returned to the couch and took Tick's hand. "Hey, can you hear me? It's Arthur. Tick?"

"Arthur?" Tick sat up. He shook his head. "Oh, Arthur." He stood up and stretched. "Where did that wrecked devil go?" 

"Doesn't matter, Tick. Sit down."

"Alright." Tick sat down. Arthur sat down with him and set a hand on Tick's chest. 

"Hey?" He looked into his friend's eyes. "Tick?" 

Tick smiled and put his hand on Arthur's cheek. "Oh, hello, Arthur." He pulled him in and hugged him. Arthur wrapped his arms around Tick and pat his back. 

"Alright, Tick. Let me go."

"Okay, Sunflower." Tick let him go and sunk back against the couch, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. 

Arthur sighed and laid down, putting his head on Tick's lap. He closed his eyes. "We let the villain get away." Arthur said. He sighed. "It took weeks to track that guy down."

"It'll be fine." Tick tilted so his legs would be on either side of Arthur, then laid down, letting Arthur lay on his chest.

"Oh, I don't wanna look for him again." Arthur pressed his cheek against Tick's chest and sighed. He took off his helmet and put it on the table. 

Tick put his hand in Arthur's hair and twisted around his little curls. "Hm." He hummed. "Perhaps there is a quicker way." He rubbed his chin, tilting his head. "Bygosh, I got it!" He sat up and moved Arthur off of his abdomen, then stood up. "We'll call the group together!" He said. 

"Wh--"

"Yes, Arthur!" Tick turned and grabbed Arthur by the shoulders and pulled him in. "The GROUP! And with your incredible brain, you can crack the location of the villain headquarters!"

Arthur sighed. Tick ran out and Arthur put his helmet back on, running after him. 

\-----

Arthur muttered to himself, kicking pebbles at his feet.

"'Find out where the headquarters is.'." He grumbled. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

He was walking alone. Tick told him to track the HQ while he got Overkill, Dot, Sage, Flexon, and Bronzestar. 

"I'm not a map. I'm not a... villain radar. I don't know how any of my 'intelligence' will help me find a lost villain."

He stopped walking and crossed his arms, huffing and looking around. 

He noticed a figure in an alleyway and perked up, watching as a figure that looked like the villain from earlier crawled into an abandoned dollar store.

He smiled to himself. "Oh, I guess that's how! Tick," He looked around, then frowned. He checked the door and it was locked. Arthur jumped into the air and went to find the group.

\-----

"Still gotta get Overkill and Dot." Tick said, leading Bronzestar, Sage, and Flexon.

They heard yelling and looked up. Arthur was torpedoing down to Tick. 

Tick held his hands up and Arthur  came crashing into his chest. He wrapped his arms around Arthur's back. "Ah!" Arthur gasped. He sighed and burrowed his face against Tick's neck. 

Tick pat his back. "Recover, light in the darkness. We're all ants in your hand. Our next destination is determined by you." 

"This way, Tick."

"Great!" Bronzestar said. "Adventure!"

"We're going on an adventure~" Flexon hummed.

Arthur lead the team to the dollar store. 

"Alright," Arthur whispered to the group when they were there. "We gotta sneak inside. There's a hole in the building, and the door should be locked."

"Dot is good at sneaking!" Tick looked at the group. "Oh, I seemed to have forgot Dot and Overkill."

"I've got it." Arthur said. He gave a thumbs up.

"Smart, courageous, brave!" Tick pat Arthur's back. "You've got it, Chum!"

Arthur smiled confidently. "Be right back." He snuck away. 

They waited for a moment, then Arthur opened the door.

They all tiptoed inside. "Gotta be quiet." Arthur whispered. 

"I love your voice." Tick whispered back.

Arthur gave him a weird look, then someone grabbed him, put a hand over his mouth, a knife to his neck, and pulled him back. 

"Everyone, out!" The villain yelled.

Tick gasped. "Let my partner go!" He yelled. 

"Not so fast, Tick!" The man hissed, pressing the knife against Arthur's neck. "I'll cut him! I'll cut all of you!"  

Arthur whimpered. "I'm very frightened." He said softly. "Please let me go."

"Aw. You're coming with me." He started sinking away. 

"Hey, man! That's my partner!" Tick lunged at them. He picked up Arthur and cradled him in one arm, then punched the other man and sent him flying into the other room.

The man pulled out the cube from earlier and turned it on, then threw it at the group. All of them dropped. He picked up Arthur and ran away.

Tick looked up, dazed. "Must… go after… that… small… bunny… man..."

He pulled himself up and staggered after them. "Hey!" He yelled. "Let go of that… small man!"

"Never!"

Arthur laid limp in the man's arm. Tick wobbled a little. 

"I'll… get you!" He threw himself at the man and trapped him and Arthur under his body. 

He passed out. So did Arthur. The other man was just left laying there.

Arthur woke up a bit later. He nudged Tick. "Tick…" He whispered. He wiggled. "Tiiiiick!" He yelled.

Tick woke up and blinked. He saw Arthur under him. "Hey, Arthur…" He whispered.

Arthur struggled under Tick. "Get off of me!" He screeched.

Tick pulled himself up and grabbed the bad guy, who was knocked out from the weight. "We got him!"

Arthur got up. He grabbed Tick's arm to steady himself. He rubbed his head, then went into the other room. The three were passed out. Arthur sighed and stomped on the cube, then sat them all up. "Uhm… phone…" he mumbled, shaking his head. "Ah, here it is."

He called for help. Awhile later, someone came and took the villain, as well as the three passed out superheroes. 

Tick stood beside Arthur. "That cube was weird!" Tick said. He put his hand on Arthur's back. "I still feel a little buzzy."

"Yeah." Arthur nodded. He smiled at Tick and hugged him. "Let's go home."


	9. Again and Again

"He floats in space. Like a god, powerful, never ending, all knowledge of all previous lives returning to his mind like waves. The salty, hurtful crashing of an endless cycle pushing and pulling and stressing his brain as he hurdles towards another foreign universe." 

Tick spun in the blank void around himself. "He remembers all of the people he left behind. All of the Arthurs. All of the friends. A cycle that has him shifting between worlds so fast that won't let him settle down. An unstoppable torture."

He rolled roughly, and suddenly his talking was drowned out by the sounds of a crisp night. He sat up and looked at his hands. 

"Now where is he this time?" Tick got up. 

He heard noises and the moment his mind focused on them all of the previous knowledge of what he is and where he was left his mind. He was, once again, The Tick. Clueless.

He jumped down from where he was and made a little man fall over.

"Don't turn back now!" Tick said. "I think we're onto something…"

And that's how he met Arthur all over again.

Years later, he felt pretty comfortable with Arthur. They'd been so happy with each other. It was nothing like any of the relationships he'd bonded with an Arthur before (not that he remembered those right now). 

He and Arthur were laying on the couch together. Arthur had his face against Tick's chest, his eyes closed.

Tick rubbed Arthur's back. They were staying in today because Tick had been expressing a feeling of uneasiness.

Arthur took his friend's hands and looked up into his eyes. He smiled a little and reached up, putting a hand to his cheek. "Are you feeling any better?"

Physically, Tick felt absolutely fantastic. He had the best life ever. He had Arthur. That's all he needed to make him happy to exist. 

Mentally, Tick couldn't describe how terrified he was. But he didn't know why. He didn't know that everything in this universe was okay, and that this Arthur was in the correct place. He was close to leaving. 

"I think we should get up." Tick suggested. "I feel better now. We need to patrol." He stretched and got up.

Arthur put on his suit, but before Tick could leave, Arthur stopped him.

"Tick." Arthur said. He put his hand on Tick's arm and looked down. "I need to tell you something."

"Yeah?" Tick asked. 

Arthur wrapped his arms around Tick's strong shoulders and hugged him tightly. "You're so important to me. You make my life so much better." He kissed Tick's cheek. "I love you."

Tick was beaming. He picked Arthur up and they kissed on the lips. Arthur held him, smiling happily. "I love you so much." He whispered. 

Tick pat his back. "I love you, too. Now, Arthur. Let's get to patrolling."

They got outside and started to patrol. Tick held Arthur for a bit, then put him down. They kissed again.

"Be right back." Arthur said. He hugged Tick and ran ahead. He grabbed a flower from the park, which was nearby to Tick, then went back, his heart full. He was so incredibly happy right now. 

Arthur ran back to his big friend, smiling. "Tick!" He called. 

He looked around. "Tick!"

He deployed his wings and flew up into the air. He frowned. "Tick? God, where'd he go?"

But he didn't come back that night. Or ever again. 

Tick was already hurling into another universe. 

He cried during the ride. "It isn't fair!" Tick screamed, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I LOVE HIM!" Tick punched the air around himself. "BRING ME BACK! Let me settle down! I'm not your item, I'm a living, breathing, human being! I deserve my happiness! I deserve my Arthur!"

He tumbled into a building. "FUCK! YOU!" Tick yelled, but then he noticed he was crying, and the very small thought caused him to forget again. The Tick once again. Clueless.

He wiped his tears away. "Why am I crying? Where am I? What am I?" He looked at his hands, then put them on his face, grazing his fingers over a thick chin. 

He looked up at the building, and his eyes lit up. "Oh! Arthur!"

He ran into the building and up the steps. "Arthur!" He yelled. 

He ran to his friend's apartment building and opened the door "Hey, Arthur?!" He yelled.

He looked inside. A pudgy man was laying on the couch with a gun. He jumped up in shock when Tick entered. 

"Who are you?" Tick asked. "Where's Arthur?"

The man sat up, wide eyed. "Tick?!" 

Tick watched as the man just broke out sobbing in front of him. Tick scratched his head.

"Okay, man. Sorry about your door." Tick was about to leave. The man stood up and ran to Tick, hugging him tightly. 

"Tick!" He sobbed. 

Tick wrapped his arms around the man. "Hi." He said.

"Do you not recognise me? I-- it's--" The man pulled away and ran into another room. He came back out in a pure white moth suit. "It's me! Arthur!"

Tick brightened. "Arthur!" He dove into another hug with his friend, picking him off the floor. "I never saw you out of your suit before!"

"Yeah... I couldn't bring myself to wear it today." Arthur squeezed Tick tightly, melting into him. "Gosh where have you been…?"

"Where have I been indeed?" Tick responded. "Why? Haven't I been here?"

"You've been missing, Tick…" Arthur looked surprised. "For the past eight years..."

"Yikes." Tick looked at his hands. "That long? How old are you now? Like, forty?"

Arthur looked at the ground and nodded. 

"I guess eight years explains the weight you've gained." Tick put his hand on Arthur's head. "Don't worry, Chum. I still love ya." He smiled. "We'll get back to what we were doing. Right?"

Arthur was shaking. He nodded. "Yeah. Yeah…" He was crying under his mask. He hugged Tick again. 

Tick felt the sudden urge to kiss him and cuddle him and male him feel better. He fell to his knees with Arthur and just held him against his chest, letting Arthur cry.

"Why'd you have the gun?" Tick asked, stroking Arthur's arm.

"I was…" Arthur looked at the gun, his eyes wide and watery. "Just cleaning it…"

Tick stood up and held Arthur in his arms. He put the gun away and took Arthur to his room. 

"This place looks like a mess." Tick said. He saw something in the corner and smiled widely. "Mygat!" He exclaimed. He put Arthur on the bed. "Speak? Speak?!"

He touched the animal in the corner, who looked up. "Eight years! And you're still kick'n! An old capybara you are!" He picked Speak up and hugged him. "I can't believe you kept Speak!"

"Of course…" Arthur smiled. "I love Speak... He kept me company all these years..."

Tick pet Speak, then let the animal lay down again. Tick crawled onto the bed with Arthur and hugged him. "Where's Mous? And Urchin? And American Maid? Is everyone alright?"

"Eight years older, but alright."

Tick hugged Arthur and held him close. "You're amazing. I couldn't have gotten through eight years without you."

"Didn't you though…?"

"I don't remember it."

Arthur nodded, then leant up and kissed Tick. 

Tick was surprised, but he kissed back. 

Arthur pulled away a few seconds later. "I'm sorry… I've been thinking of doing that for eight years…"

Tick's antennae flicked in happiness. He cupped Arthur's adorable cheeks and kissed him again. "That's fine. I think I have been, too."

They kissed for a little bit, then cuddled against each other to relax. 

Tick held Arthur close. 

Unknown to him, he'd just prevented a crisis: Arthur killing himself. That would've sent a ripple through reality.

He stayed with this Arthur for a few years, then a tragic accident had Tick spiraling down into another universe, crying again at the sudden and abrupt ending of this universe's Arthur, and unwilling to start a new one.

But he couldn't stop this never ending cycle.


	10. Pain

The sound of the crack made Tick's stomach drop, then immediately afterwards when his ears were penetrated by painful screaming, he was feeling overwhelmed.

He stood awkwardly, eyes wide as he listened to his best friend's screaming. 

"Tick!" Arthur yelled. 

Tick snapped back to reality and dropped to the floor. "Oh, that looks horrible." He said. 

"IT FEELS EVEN WORSE!" Arthur responded. 

"Oh. Yep. Yep. Okay. That's disgusting." Tick said as he picked up Arthur, who was hyperventilating and crying. "Oh, gosh. Oh, no. Oh, Arthur." Tick started running.

Arthur held his hand, sobbing. "It hurts!" He said. "Stop fUCKING MOVING!"

"Sorry!" Tick stopped and looked down at Arthur. "I'm sorry. Should we get an ambulance?"

"I'm gonna faint..." Arthur cried. He used his good arm to take off his glasses and run a hand through his hair. The other arm was limp on his chest.

"I need to get you to the hospital." Tick said. He jumped to another roof.

Arthur screamed in pain. 

Tick cradled him. "Okay, Chum. It's okay. You're fine. Where's the hospital?"

"OH. MY. GOSH. TICK!" Arthur said. Tick didn't know how to react. He looked around, panicking. He jumped to another roof.

"Is that the hospital?" Tick asked, pointing.

"I DON'T KNOW." Arthur responded.

"Calm down, Spicy. Jeez." Tick jumped to the building and ran inside. He was in a waiting room. He ran to the front desk and the lady called some doctors to take Arthur.

"Wow. What happened to him?" Someone asked. Tick turned and looked down at a mother. 

"Uhm. I don't know…"

"He's in a lot of pain."

"His arm is broken." Tick frowned. "Have a good day." He said, then ran off to find Arthur. 

 

When Arthur got back home, he looked really annoyed and exhausted.

He sat on the couch and stared at the tv. 

Tick stared at him, then walked off to get something. He came back and sat down with Arthur. He kissed his forehead and put an arm around his back, opening up a blue marker. "Can I sign?"

Arthur nudged his cast into Tick's hand. 

Tick signed, 'THE TICK' and drew a few little hearts around his signature, then put the marker down. 

"Thanks." Arthur mumbled. 

Tick pulled his partner in. Arthur cuddled up against his arm and stared at the tv. 

"Is your arm doing better?" Tick asked. He leant into the back of the couch.

"It's really numb. They put a lot of painkillers in me."

Tick brushed his fingers through Arthur's hair. He twisted the curls between his thick fingers.  "I'm sorry that I let this happen to you…"

Arthur frowned and looked up at Tick. "No, it's not your fault…" He said. 

Tick rubbed Arthur's back and leant down, brushing their lips together. Arthur kissed him back, smiling. 

They decided to stay in the rest of the day. Tick understood that Arthur was in a lot of pain, so he didn't say anything about Arthur laying down and taking a nap in the middle of the day. Even if Tick was itching to get out, right now he needed to stay with Arthur.


	11. Sleepy

"Wakey wakey." Tick said, poking Arthur's face. He leant down to be closer to the unconscious man. "Wake up. Patrol time."

Arthur wasn't responding. 

Tick crawled onto the bed and poked Arthur affectionately. "Artie, Artie, Artie." He said. 

"Tickie, Tickie, Tickie." Arthur finally whispered back. 

Tick put his hands on Arthur's hips and pulled the smaller man against his thick chest. "Are you gonna wake up?" Tick asked. 

"No." Arthur put a pillow over his head.

Tick got up and found Arthur's suit. He went back into the bedroom. "I'm gonna put you into the suit."

"Don't wake me." Arthur turned again. 

Tick put him in the suit, then put his helmet on. "Alright. Let's go."

He let Arthur hang off of his back. Arthur wrapped his legs around Tick's waist, his arms around Tick's shoulders, and pressed his face against Tick's neck. 

Tick walked outside and went to Goat's store to grab a coffee for Arthur, then he started walking around the city with his partner on his back. 

When Arthur woke up, Tick was standing very high up, on the beams of a bridge. 

Arthur yelped. He gripped onto Tick.  

"Tick!" Arthur squeaked. "Why are we standing up here?!"

Tick casually handed Arthur a cold cup of coffee. "I'm just patrolling." 

Arthur pushed himself off Tick's back and started falling. He deployed his wings and fluttered back up, then began drinking his coffee. 

Tick swung off of the bridge and Arthur flew beside him.

"How long was I asleep?" Arthur asked. 

"An hour and a half or so." Tick responded.

Arthur stopped by a trash can to throw his cup away, then continued flying after Tick. "That's not too bad."

Tick laughed. "You should've heard the compliments… 'he looks so cute.' 'You two are adorable together.'" He flicked his antennae and stopped on a building. Arthur flew into him. Tick grabbed Arthur and held him. "You do look cute." Tick said. 

Arthur blushed. "Oh, shut up, you big flirt." He giggled. 

Tick set Arthur on the ledge and stepped down. They were almost the same height. Arthur was a little taller with the ledge. 

"I'm not lying." Tick kept his hands on Arthur's shoulders. 

Arthur leant down and kissed Tick's lips. It felt weird leaning down, so he tried to step off the ledge, but before he could, Tick wrapped his arms around Arthur and lifted him up.

Arthur smiled. "Hey, Muscle-Man. Didn't say you could pick me up."

"Didn't say I couldn't, either." Tick kissed him again. 

Arthur rolled his eyes and pulled his legs up. He used his feet to push himself away and propelled himself into the air, did a flip, and then landing down right next to Tick. He cupped Tick's face, pulled him down, and kissed him passionately before he knew what was going on.

When they pulled away again, Tick's eyes were sparkling, he was smiling widely. 

Arthur smiled back, then started running. "Come on. We're patrolling."

Tick ran after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'm constantly suffocating and the world is crumbling in on me so I'm spamming Tick content to make me happy. Big Tick Energy right now.


	12. Adults Being Adults

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tick and Arthur fooling around a little bit. :>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys yeah. I got really depressed tonight so I upped the usual fluff by 200 and passion by 3000.

Arthur snuck up to the bed where his boyfriend was laying silently. He crawled onto Tick's stomach. "Hello."

"Hi there." Tick said. Arthur rested his hands on Tick's thick chest and moved closer to his face. 

They needed no other words. Arthur slipped his hand to Tick's cheek and leaned in. His lips hovered away from Tick's for a moment, then he closed his eyes and kissed him. 

Tick kissed back. He rested his hands on Arthur's hips, pulling the smaller man against his body. 

Arthur pulled away a few centimeters. He took the moment to breathe, and open his eyes and look at the gorgeous man he was laying on, then kissed him again, but a bit more lovingly this time.

Tick tilted his head, his antennae wiggling back and forth in happiness and pleasure.

He brought his hand up to Arthur's cheek and cupped his face, pulling him in a little more.

Arthur made a little sound when Tick pulled his face closer. Tick just smiled, because Arthur was a bit noisy whenever they were kissing, and Tick liked it because it assured him that he was doing okay.

Tick slowly sat up. He put a firm hand on Arthur's right side, then smiled and pushed him to the left, rolling on top of him.

Arthur giggled. "Wow, you're a little big." He always felt a hundred times smaller whenever Tick was the one on top.

"I hope that's not a problem." Tick said. Arthur shook his head and wrapped his arms around Tick's shoulders, pulling him down and kissing him passionately.

"No, not at all," Arthur whispered breathlessly. "In fact, it's what I prefer."

That was the little bit of excitement that really got them going. They rolled around on the bed, kissing and flirting and touching.

Tick didn't know what he liked more: looking up at Arthur and admiring how angelic he looked from a little bit above, or being the one on top and seeing how excited that made Arthur.

Arthur brushed his hands against Tick's muscles. Tick had the hardest, thickest muscles, and yet they were so soft.

Tick smiled and kissed Arthur's jawline, leaving a trail of kisses down his neck. Then Arthur was suddenly aware of the suit that covered his entire body.

He undid his belt and unzipped the suit. "Help me out of this." He said.

Tick was bouncing. They'd laid together with Arthur naked before. It wasn't a new thing. Tick got really happy because he knew it was a big sign of trust, and he liked kissing Arthur's chest. 

They threw the flying suit on the floor and left Arthur in his boxers.

"Is that better?" Tick asked. Arthur nodded and bit his lip. "Is your lip alright?" 

Arthur nodded again. He had a very light, precious laugh that made Tick's heart fill. "I'm fine, Tick."

Tick cupped his face again and they continued kissing.

Something felt so endearing about the unfaltering smile Arthur had while their lips crashed together. 

Tick pulled away and sat up a little. "Your smile is making me really happy."

Arthur giggled and sat up, too. He pounced onto Tick, making him fall onto his back. He sat on Tick's abdomen and leant down. Tick looked absolutely drunk with affection as Arthur kissed his entire face.

"I can't stand that look." Arthur commented. "It makes me never want to look away."

"Why do you have to? We can just stare at each other's faces for the rest of our lives."

"Fantastic idea." Arthur pressed their lips together again. He was breathing heavily and trying to find somewhere muscular to hold while they kissed. So Tick took his hand. 

Arthur squeezed Tick's hand. Tick moved his other hand to Arthur's head and buried his fingers in his messy, curly hair. Arthur always got messy hair whenever they played around, and a bit of a wild look in his eyes. Tick usually looked like he either didn't know what was happening but was all for it, or he was drunk from all the kissing.

After quite a while of dating and experiencing what an active love life felt like, Tick caught on to everything he was supposed to do. He understood.

Arthur drowned Tick's lips with kisses, moaning quietly as Tick laid there with hearts in his eyes, playing with his hair and holding his hand. 

Arthur decided to let Tick take the wheel again. He rolled on top. Arthur got a little twitchier and louder.

Tick kissed him passionately and reached down, then the door opened and he flinched and turned around.

"Guys." It was Superian. "Can you keep it down? I'm sorry, but I don't want to hear your gay sex."

Arthur pulled Tick in and kissed him, sticking up the middle finger to Superian. "Get out of here!"


	13. Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tick gets confused for awhile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cartoon representation because I wanted to write Maus and Urchin.

"It's just for awhile, Chum!" Tick said. His eyes were sparkling. "I'm going to learn who I am."

Arthur looked down and shook his head. "I don't trust these men… But I trust you. I know you'll be careful. Right?"

Tick walked forward and cupped Arthur's face. He lent down and looked into his eyes. Then, he nodded. "I'll be as fine as a flower, Arthur!" The Tick looked Arthur into the eyes. "It's just for the weekend."

Arthur didn't want him to leave. He cupped Tick's cheeks and pulled him in, giving him a long, passionate kiss. 

When he pulled away, he looked into Tick's eyes, depressed and already lonely. Tick hugged him, said goodbye, and got into the car that was waiting for him. 

"I'll call!" Tick yelled out the window.

Arthur's heart pulled as the car drove away. He jumped into the air and watched the car until it was just a black dot very far away.

This was good. This was okay. Tick had found his creators and he was just going to spend the weekend with them. That's all.

Arthur looked at his hands. They were shaking.

He knew he wouldn't last the weekend well without his big, blue, heroic drug.

Arthur floated to the ground and decided to go inside his apartment. He laid on the couch and closed his eyes.

One day was okay.

By two days, Arthur was dying for the affection he used to get all the time from The Tick.

By three days, Arthur was anxious and love deprived and wondering where that call was.

By four days, Arthur got to obsessing. It took him two hours to know exactly where Tick was. He got his friends, borrowed Dot's car, then were on their way.

Maus crossed his legs and put his arms behind his head. "Tick's not in trouble, buddy. He's just enjoying some quality time with his daddy."

"Ew, no." Arthur shook his head. "He was supposed to call. I don't think he's okay."

"Okay." Maus rubbed his chin. "So… why are we running towards the trouble?"

"Oh, gosh, Maus. Oh, gosh." Urchin shook his head. "You're selfish. The Tick is most certainly in danger. Most certainly. We're his friends. We gotta get to him."

"I'm his boyfriend!" Arthur said. "I need to see him!"

"Can you guys stop bickering?" American Maid was sitting in the back with Urchin. She sighed loudly. "It's no question. We're going to check in on this family reunion." 

"Yes! Now please, shut up! You're giving me a headache."

They drove in silence for awhile. Then Arthur let out a frustrated yell. "What are we gonna do!" He said. "That's the building right there. They look scary!"

"I'll stay in the car for a quick escape." Maus offered. Arthur nodded and switched places with Maus. "AM, we're gonna sneak inside. Urchie, you know what you gotta do." 

Urchin gave a thumbs up. 

"Okay. Let's go."

Urchin went into the sewer, and Arthur and Maid went up to the building and snuck inside, while Maus turned on some quiet music. 

Arthur split up with Maid. It took a lot of sneaking, but eventually he stumbled across The Tick.

Tick was standing in a white room. He was in a straight jacket and looking at the ceiling. Arthur broke open the door and ran in, grabbing his thick bicep. "Hey, let's go." He said.

"Where are we going?" Tick asked as Arthur slipped the jacket off of him.

"Home." Arthur started running, and Tick stumbled behind him. He ran into American Maid and Sea Urchin, who were fighting some guards, and they ran to the car. They shoved Tick into backseat with American Maid and Arthur. 

Maus started the car and they began speeding off. There was worry in Tick's face. 

"Where are you bringing me? Let me out." Tick demanded. 

"Come on, Tick. We're bringing you home." Maus said.

"We missed you." Urchin said. 

Tick looked confused. He turned to Arthur. 

"I really, really missed you." Arthur set a hand on his chest and leaned up, pressing their lips together. 

Tick flinched and pulled away pretty violently. "Woah, man! What're you doing?"

"Uhm…" Arthur's face got hot. "Uh, I-I… just… I'm sorry…" Arthur was still pressed against Tick, but then he felt himself to get closer to the door. Tick had pushed him away. 

"Calm that down, Buddy. I'm not gay." Tick put his elbows on his knees and put his face in his hands.

"Boyfriends, huh?" Maus laughed.

Arthur felt embarrassed and hurt. He sulked and stared out the window, as Tick answered with a quick and firm, "I don't even know him."

They got home and Arthur said goodbye to his friends, then took Tick inside. 

"What happened to you?" Arthur asked. "It's me, Arthur!"

"Arthur? I've never heard of you before! Although, you look a little familiar… perhaps I've seen you during Easter before." He scratched his head. "Never seen those other guys."

"First of all, I am a MOTH. Second of all, those are your friends, and I am your boyfriend."

Tick crossed his arms. "I'm not attracted to guys, man."

Arthur was frustrated. He stomped over to his desk and grabbed a book, then came back over to Tick. He opened it up and shoved the book into Tick's face. 

Tick took the book, looking confused and exposed. 

"What is this?!" He asked, eyes wide as he looked through a scrapbook full of pictures of him cuddling and kissing and holding hands with this short, fat bunny man. "Have I been leading a double life? Or perhaps I have a different personality, who's gay." 

"Alright. Go to sleep. Maybe you'll feel better when you wake up." Arthur said. He walked Tick to the bedroom.

A few hours later, Arthur knew Tick was awake by the noises in the other room. He got up and walked to him. 

"Tick?" Tick jumped and looked at Arthur. He was going through Arthur's dresser. "What are you doing?"

Tick looked at the sweater in his hands. It would be fine for Arthur, but it looked kinda small for Tick.

"None of my clothes fit me." He dropped the sweater. "Who are you? Get out of my room, Homely Invader! You meet, I… uh… Me!" Tick held up his hands. 

Arthur walked in. "This is MY room." He grabbed the clothes from the ground.

"I don't recall sleeping in a stranger's bed."

Arthur shoved the clothes into the dresser. "You really don't remember me?! We've been together for the last six years-- dating for three of them!"

Tick looked bewildered. Arthur took a step forward and Tick held up his hands again. 

"One step forward, Easter Bunny! I'll scramble your eggs alright!"

"Fuck!" Arthur yelled. "All of this fucking time and you're taken from me! I should've known!" He stomped his foot, angry. Tick was standing against a wall and he felt overwhelmed. 

"I-I! Get away from me! I don't know you!" Tick said.

Arthur didn't step away. Tick fell to the floor and broke down.

Arthur's face softened. He knelt down and held Tick. "Hey, hey. It's alright. I'm Arthur. We're… dating. I'm your best friend."

"I don't know you… But your arms are comforting…and familiar..." Tick leant into Arthur's arms and hugged him. He started crying into the other man's shoulders. 

Arthur held him, rocking him back and forth and rubbing his back. Tick pressed his head against Arthur's chest, antennaes up against his face.

The night was a lot worse. Tick rolled around and screamed and cried until Arthur came into the room and held him. 

He cradled his boyfriend, still heartbroken and angry. It took so long to get together with Tick. He didn't want another six years of the same thing. He wanted Tick now. He wanted to kiss and make out and have sex like they used to. He wanted to cuddle and talk about spending their lives together. He wanted to marry Tick. 

He started crying. Tick was already asleep, so he didn't hold back. He grabbed onto Tick and sobbed into his hard chest until he fell asleep. 

He woke up to the apartment being ransacked. Tick was out of bed. He was destroying the apartment.

Arthur got up and ran into the living room "TICK!" Arthur yelled. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Tick looked crazy. He picked up a book and tossed it at Arthur. Arthur dodged it. "TICK." Arthur would've pulled out the middle and last name cards if he could. "It's me, Arthur!"

Tick pulled a door from the wall and held it over his head. 

"Tick, you put that down right now!"

"I can't!" Tick sobbed. He was so confused and upset that he was just full blown panicking. 

"You wouldn't hit me! I'm Arthur! You can't hurt Arthur!"

Tick struggled for a moment. "Arthur…" His voice got quiet. 

"Yes. Arthur." Arthur took a step forward. "Your… your boyfriend…" he whispered. "Your best friend… your partner…"

Tick was faltering. "Arth...ur…"

Arthur took another step forward, nodding. "Yeah. Yeah. Come on. Put the door down. Do you remember me?" He smiled, but mostly out of nervousness.

Tick dropped the door. "I remember… my lover…" His arms dropped to his sides. "Her face… she had really big eyes… and…" Tick looked at Arthur. "The cutest smile…" he shook his head. "But I don't think I'd have dated a man… you look so much like her…"

Arthur shook his head. "It's just me, Tick. There's no her. It's me. It's Arthur."

"It is…"

Tick looked at his feet. Then he took a step forward. He ran to Arthur and pulled him into a hug, picking him up and kissing him passionately. Arthur tossed his arms around Tick and kissed him back.

"I remember you. I remember you, Arthur!" Tick said. "But I don't know everything… and I don't know anything else…"

Tick let Arthur down, but didn't let him go. He pressed their lips together again and started absently pushing Arthur back. Arthur felt himself against the wall. 

He just wanted it so much right now. He wanted The Tick to be rough and soft and passionate and slow with him. He wanted Tick to get him excited and make him scream. Four days was too long to be without Tick.

So he hugged Tick and touched his muscles. "I'll show you everything." He whispered. 

Tick smiled and took Arthur's hand. Knowing Arthur would never give up on him was so reassuring. "I'm so ready to learn everything…"


	14. Dirt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tick murders a potted plant and feels horrible about it.

"Oh no." Tick stepped back, eyes wide, mouth agape as he stared. "Oh, no. Oh. Oh… what have I done…" 

He looked at his bulky arms and big feet. Covered in dirt. The dirt of their child. Their baby. Their potted flower plant. 

He heard footsteps coming up to the apartment. Tick was absolutely frozen in place. Then he dropped to his knees and started using his hands to get the dirt in a pile. 

"Tick?" Arthur called as he walked into the apartment. He saw Tick in the kitchen, bent over on the floor. He walked over to him and set some bags on the table. "What are you doing?"

Tick used his large body to cover what he was doing. "Nothing."

Arthur walked over to Tick. He knelt down and wrapped his arms around Tick's shoulders, clinging onto his back. He pressed his cheek against Tick's shoulder and closed his eyes. 

Arthur put his hand on Tick's arm, stroking his bicep absently. "Why are you on the floor? What are you touching?"

Arthur tried to look, but Tick hunched his shoulders and moved his head so Arthur couldn't see.

"Tick? What are you hiding?"

"Nothing!" Tick's antennae wiggled in distress. 

"Tick?" Arthur tried leaning over him again. 

Tick shook him off and spun around so fast Arthur couldn't even react until he was pinned under Tick, his gigantic body blocking whatever he was so fixated on before. 

Arthur's eyes were wide for a moment. That was a little rough. "What is it?" Arthur asked.

Tick didn't want Arthur to know that he had killed their plant child. He would need to get a new one and replace it before Arthur noticed. 

"Stop being suspicious, Chum! The only things in this room are me," he moved closer. "And the handsome, intelligent man I'm lucky enough to call my superpartner boyfriend." Tick started smiling. Arthur was worried.

"Let me see what's behind you." Arthur said. 

"I think we should go on a date." Tick stood up and picked up Arthur. "Something nice, romantic-- favourable to us! How about it?"

Arthur tried looking again. Tick kept blocking him.

"No. I wanna see what's back there."

"There's only the floor, Arthur. I was looking at ants."

"Cool. I wanna see the ants." Arthur wiggled in Tick's hand. When he didn't move, Arthur had no other choice. He grabbed Tick's antennae. 

Tick gasped and froze.  It was enough for Arthur to look over him and see the smashed pot.

Arthur let go and kisses Tick's cheek. "Why are you acting so shady?"

Knowing he had seen it, Tick let Arthur down. "I'm sorry!" He cried. "I'm sorry! Murder is bad!" 

Arthur wandered over to the plant and picked it up. He cradled the roots and dirt around it in his hand. The flowers were seeping between his fingers. "Hey, Tick, it's not a big deal."

"But-- I killed it! I killed our child!" Tick walked into the kitchen with Arthur. 

"Tick, it's not dead."

"It's… Not?"

Tick watched dumbly as Arthur got another pot, placed it back in, put new soil in, cleaned up the mess, then poured some water into the plant. 

"It'll be fine." Arthur laughed. "It's not dead.  

Tick smiled widely. He grabbed Arthur's waist and pulled him in, smothering him in kisses. "Oh, Arthur, you saved our child."

Arthur cupped Tick's cheek and laughed, then leant up and kissed his lips. "How about that date?"

Tick nodded. "Let's pursue our romantic fulfilment." He said, and they left.


	15. Singing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur gets a little drunk with Tick and they do some karaoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUEEN. I didn't have a music taste when I originally wrote this, so I just found a song, but now I sort of listen to Queen. So Queen.

Tick grabbed Arthur and pulled him to the stage. "Let's do it!" He shouted excitedly, stepping on stage. The stage creaked and moaned in response.

Tick grabbed the microphone from its stand and it gave off a loud shrill in response. He cringed, then tapped it to make sure everything was alright. 

"Hello," Tick's voice was clear and loud. He turned to his partner. "What will we be singing?" He whispered.

"I-I don't know! I wasn't the one to pull us up here. I'll find a song…" He quickly found one, then pulled the lyrics up on his phone for Tick. He whispered to the one controlling the music what they would be singing. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy by Queen. 

Tick was bouncing as he read over the lyrics. "Do I start?" 

"Yeah, I guess." Arthur responded. The music started. 

Tick’s antennae wagged in a rhythm. Then he started singing. "I can dim the lights and sing you songs full of sad things..." He said, reading the lyrics off of Arthur's phone. "We can do the tango just for two. I can serenade and gently play on your heart strings, be your Valentino just for you."

Arthur stared at Tick, shocked. They were both a little drunk(or maybe Tick was just acting to make Arthur more comfortable, because two cups of any alchohol wasn't going to get a man like The Tick drunk), and Tick had a beautiful singing voice. It sounded full and bold. Arthur watched him with admiration.

Tick continued. "Ooh love, ooh loverboy. What're you doin' tonight, hey boy! Set my alarm, turn on my charm, that's because I'm a good old-fashioned lover boy."

He did the next few lines, then finally, it was Arthur's turn. He could feel the anxiety crawling up to his cheeks. "O-ooh love, ooh loverboy…" He started, quiet. Not quite as loud or as bold as Tick. Arthur looked up at his friend. "What-- what you doin' tonight, hey boy... Write my letter... Feel much better, a-and use my fancy patter on the telephone."

He finished his part a few lines later. He felt electric. Tick was holding him so closely and everyone was watching them. 

Their voices joined together. "When I'm not with you, I think of you always... When I'm not with you, think of me always... Love you, love you...!"

They looked into each other's eyes and their voices merged again. "Hey boy where do you get it from? Hey boy where did you go? I learned my passion in the good old fashioned school of loverboys!"

And then it was over in a flash a few minutes later. Arthur took the microphone from Tick and put it down. People cheered. 

Tick hugged Arthur passionately. "You have an amazing voice…"

Arthur melted into Tick and hugged him back, then took Tick's hand and walked down the stage with him. People shouted excitedly as they got back to their seat.

They cuddled up with each other and watched the next people walk on stage.


	16. Bubble Wrap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A silly conversation with my friend lead to this short fic.

Big bubble wrap x tick

AWW Tick playing with bubble wrap.

Big bubble wrap would be small bubble wrap and small bubble wrap would be super duper tiny bubble wrap.

He looks at it and it pops

It's so scared that it shakes

The bubble wrap becomes sentient and runs

And it runs to Arthur who isn't strong enough to pop it lol

Or it gets caught on his wings and it pops

And then he flinches and Tick's just like, "The evil of the bubbly terror has been extinguished! Good job, Chum!" And he claps Arthur on the back and makes him stumble a bit.

We just accidentally wrote a shitty one shot

Shitty? This is my favourite one shot.

You're right. Its amazing

I could post this on my one shot book.

D o  I t

I'll post this at the top and then flesh it out into an actual fic

~~~~~

"Woooah!" Tick pulled a long sheet of bubbly paper from a bag that had just been delivered to them. "Clear, and bumpy," He squeezed the bubble and it popped. His antennae flicked backward for a moment, and he  looked at Arthur. "It pops!"

"It's called bubble wrap." Arthur pulled a shirt from the bag.

"Bubble wrap?" Tick examined it. "Well, it certainly does wrap!" He said, watching as it coiled itself around his arm.

Arthur looked up and seemed a little shocked for a moment. "I-I-I-I-- what--"

Tick reached to pop another, when the sheet jumped off of his arm and towards Arthur. Arthur was so startled he deployed his wings, which popped a few bubbles and made him flinch, and drop his shirt.

"Ah!" Arthur yelped.

Tick looked excited. He ran up to Arthur and picked up his shirt for him. "The evil of the bubbly terror has been extinguished! Good job, Chum!" He clapped Arthur in the back. Arthur stumbled forward and gasped, a little put off by the rough congratulation.

He folded his wings back into their pack and held the bubble wrap, which was cut in the middle. He silently handed it back to Tick, who amused himself with the bubbles, humming. Arthur shuffled away, not wanting to recognise that bubble wrap had just attacked him.

 


	17. Doctor Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tick hates hospitals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bad at writing Tick lol

"What is this place?" Tick asked, walking through the doors Arthur had just opened for them. They were standing in a room with a lot of people.

"I guess there's a lot of people today…" Arthur said to himself. He turned to look up at Tick. "This is the doctor's office."

Tick's eyes were wide. "An entire room of ill people?" He asked. 

"Just sit down," Arthur said. He left Tick in the centre of the room while he went to a lady at a desk. 

"Sit down?" Tick looked around the room. There weren't many seats in the first place, and all of them were taken, besides a single kid seat.

Tick pulled out the frog-designed chair and sat his enormous body onto it. His knees were up to his chest. 

There were kids sitting at the table. "Are you a superhero?" One of them asked.

"Hello! I am The Tick! I am a superhero! Say, I'm not quite sure why Arthur brought me here. Mind filling me in?"

"Oh, this is the doctor's!" The child said. "They take your weight and height and then you go into one of the rooms and play with their toys until you have to get a shot. It's really fun! You get a fun sticker at the end."

Tick's antennae wiggled with interest. "Thank you." He said, thinking.

"What are you doing?" Arthur whispered from behind Tick. "You look ridiculous."

"I'm sitting." Tick answered. 

"In a baby chair." Arthur crossed his arms. 

"In a chair, yes." Tick looked back to the kid. "What's your name?"

"Jackie."

"Jackie. What malady are you suffering from?"

Jackie shrugged. He didn't understand the word. "My shoes are too small." He said.

Tick thanked him and gave the eager child a superhero hug and fist bump, then stood up and turned to Arthur, concerned. 

"Are your shoes too tight?" Tick asked.

"No… they're fine…"

"Then why are we here?"

"So I can check up on my vaccinations!" Arthur took Tick's hand. "One of the doctors is gone, so a lot of her clients have added up. That's why there's so many people." 

"Vaccination? Where are we going?"

Arthur tugged Tick to a corner and leant against the wall. He took out his phone. 

Tick leant into the wall and looked around. 

He turned to Arthur. "This place is boring." He said. "I don't like it here. It's too clean. The lights are too bright. That woman behind the desk has so much paperwork around her."

"T--"

"Paperwork!" 

"Be quiet, will you? We'll be out soon enough!"

Tick crossed his arms. "Quiet as a mouse." He said. Arthur had been teaching him that trick. 

"Yes, mouse quiet." Arthur said. "Mice don't speak. They're super silent. Don't talk."

Tick was silent for a few minutes, then turned back to Arthur. "Arthur," he whispered, leaning down.

"Mouse, Tick." Arthur grumbled.

Tick wrapped his arm around Arthur. "Mouse Tick loves you…" He mumbled. 

"Okay. Great. Love you too. Now be quiet."

Tick whined and started messing with his antennae, swinging them about, back and forth. He was going to burst if he spent another moment in this room. It was so quiet except for the god awful woman singing on the radio. Too quiet. And Tick didn't like not being allowed to speak.

Tick started basically vibrating. He couldn't walk in the corner, so he had no other way to move.

Arthur looked up at Tick. "Babe? Calm down."

"Argh! Arthur! I can't! This place is so sad!" He said, in a loud Tick voice. 

Arthur's cheeks turned pink. "Let's go outside for a moment…"

"Arthur Everest!"

"Oh!" Arthur started walking farther into the room. "Our turn, Tick. Let's go."

They had Arthur take off his shoes and tested his weight, then measured his height. Then they took him to a room and Arthur walked in no problem, but Tick stopped at the door.

"That's a mighty small room, Chum." Tick said. He looked sort of uncomfortable with it.

"Come on, you can lay on the bed." Arthur said.

Tick shuffled inside and laid down on the bed. He needed to get somewhere more spacey. He couldn't stand this small hospital.

The woman who lead them there went to get the doctor. She closed the door as she left.

Arthur sat on a chair by the bed and wrapped an arm around Tick. "Thank you, Baby." Arthur said. He kissed Tick's cheek. "I love you. I love you so much." He kissed his face again. 

Tick's antennae went up and down, tapping the bed and the wall. "I love you, too, Arthur." Tick said. "But I don't love this building. We have to go quickly."

Arthur set his other hand on Tick's bicep. He leant his face against Tick's shoulder and closed his eyes. He kissed his blue skin. "I'll repay you when we're done. We'll go patrolling for the rest of the day."

"The rest of the day…?"

Arthur nodded. Tick smiled and calmed down. 

The doctor, Doc Meaner, came in. "Arthur!" She said. "It's been awhile since we last saw each other. How's your new life going?"

Arthur smiled and leant his head a little more against Tick's shoulder. "Like a dream." He said. 

"Hello, Tick. I've heard of you. I don't think we've met."

Tick sat up. "How?!"

"How…?"

"How do you work here?! Are you crazy? This place is awful."

"Tick!" Arthur hit his arm softly. "That's not very nice!"

"My mind is imploding!" Tick laid back down. "I am The Tick, hello, hello! Can you give my boykick his vacation please?"

The doctor chuckled. "Uhm… a colourful character he is."

"I'm sorry, usually he's not in such a bad mood. I guess he's feeling a little cramped in here. Can you give us a moment?"

"I don't have too much time, Arthur. I can only give you three minutes." 

She left the room. Arthur got up and crawled onto the bed. "Babe?" He said. "Are you okay?"

"No." Tick stood up. He hugged and kissed Arthur. "I need to go. I love you."

Arthur hugged Tick, kissing him back "Bye. I love you. I'll join you in a bit, okay? Love you." He kissed Tick's lips again.

"I'll be back once I get some fresh air." Tick waved, blew a kiss, opened the window, and leapt out.

Arthur called the doctor back in and they talked for awhile. Then, Arthur got his shots, and while he was leaving, he was offered some stickers.

They were little children stickers, mostly. Disney princesses. Paw Patrol. The Tick?

Arthur found a few stickers of his boyfriend and himself. He picked it out of the basket. "Thank you. Have a wonderful day."

Arthur left and walked around. He slid his backpack off of his shoulders. "Tick!" He called. 

He wondered where Tick was. Arthur went into an alleyway and changed into his suit, then put the backpack back on and flew up. 

He found Tick laying on the hospital roof. He flew up there and lowered himself onto Tick's body. "Hello." He said, retracting his wings.

"Hello, Chum." Tick said.

"Why are you laying down?" Arthur questioned, laying down as well, on top of Tick.

"Enjoying the view." Tick said. Arthur squinted and looked up. He quickly turned back to The Tick, who was staring at the sun, eyes open. 

"Okay…" 

"I was thinking I might get lost if I went too far…"

Arthur smiled at Tick. He took out the sticker. "I got this for you."

Tick sat up and took the sticker. He smiled. "That's me!" He said. "My, my. They made me tiny!" He chuckled. 

Arthur took the back off the sticker and pressed it against Tick's cheek. Tick gasped.

"Woah!" Tick said. "Little me, on my cheek!" He said. He looked down at the sticker. "Neat!" 

Arthur pulled him in and kissed him again. Tick kissed him back.

"Let's go patrolling." He checked the time with his goggles. "We have, like, five hours for opatrol."

"Five hours?!" Tick stood up. He took Arthur's hand. "Let's get on it!" He jumped off the building and let go of Arthur, who quickly deployed his wings.


	18. Sick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not finished. Having a writing crisis

The dregs of a cold slowly roused Arthur from his rest. His heavy eyes blinked, and he stared up at his ceiling, the world around him blurred.

He stared blankly until he woke up enough to notice the dryness in his throat. He groped around the bedside table for his glasses, then slid them onto his plate and sat up. 

He had spent the last four days in bed, which was really starting to bother him now. He was sore from only laying down.

Gently, Arthur lowered his feet to the ground. He stood up and ran a hand through his messy hair, then shuffled into the kitchen.

He was hoping Tick would not be around. But Tick was always around. He stood in the living room in front of the tv, with a kettle of coffee in his hands, wearing a sweatshirt. He watched Arthur pass, looking like a zombie.

"Little buddy?" Tick called. "Let not the days of light bother your weary eyes."

Arthur ignored it. He just wanted a cup of water. Tick popped up behind him and set a giant hand on his shoulder. "You're supposed to be laying down!"

"I-iiinside voices…" Arthur put his cup under the tap. He filled it up, then chugged the water. 

Tick let his hand fall and gave Arthur's back a rub. "Back to bed with my bilious partner, eh?" He urged Arthur forward. "Let's go."

"Mn…" Arthur went for another drink. "I'm gonna take care of myself today, alright? I can't just lay in bed." He drank another cup of water, then groggily sauntered off to take a shower.

"Let me help you." Tick followed. "I insist." 

"Just let me take a shower. I don't need help taking a shower." Arthur closed the door in Tick's face. 

"Okay!" Tick said through the door. "I'll make you breakfast. Come out when you're ready to eat!"

"Do NOT use the oven! Or the microwave or-- anything!" Arthur responded.

"I don't need any of that." Tick said to himself. He walked into the kitchen and looked around. He recalled all the breakfasts Arthur had made before, and quickly got an idea.

Arthur quickly had a shower, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, then wandered into his bedroom with a towel around his waist to get dressed.

He looked at his dresser with an amused expression. One half was very neat and full of small clothes. The other half was full of a Tick's various gigantic articles of clothes that Arthur had gotten him. 

He thought that Tick looked cute wearing things. But his shirts were actually huge-- it was hard to find a fitting size sometimes. 

Arthur took one of his blue partner's sweatshirts. It went down to his knees and made him feel like he was wearing a dress. 

He went into the kitchen, tossing the towel into the bathroom. "Now I'm more awake." He walked to Tick and set a small hand on his bicep. "What's… that?"

Tick beamed. "It's breakfast, Sunflower."

"Oh… I don't think--"

"I didn't use the oven or the microwave."

"Tick, this is a whole, unsplit bagel with peanut butter on it, sitting in a soggy bowl of Fruit Loops."  
"Yeap!"

Arthur lifted his glasses to rub his eyes. "I'm not that hungry."  
"I'll save it for later." Tick offered, standing up.

"No, no. You can't save cereal for later. Sorry." Arthur took the bowl to empty it of Tick's monstrosity. 

Tick sat back down. He leant back. "Can you even find your hands?"

"My hands? They're right here?" Arthur lifted up his hands, but Tick's sleeves went way past them. 

"I don't see them." Tick stood up. He took the plate from Arthur. "I'll deal with it, you don't have hands."

"I have hands." 

"I don't see any." Tick whistled and wiggled his antennae as he cleaned out the bowl of the soggy cereal. 

Arthur huffed. "Alright. I'm just going to lay down."

"Be there in a bit, little lover." Tick hummed. Arthur trudged back to his room and fell into his bed. 

He closed his eyes and zoned out, until he heard the bed cry out in squeals of pain. He lifted his head and faced The Tick.

Tick smiled a little. He reached out and brushed a few fingers against Arthur's cheek. "You look like you're so angry."

"I'm not angry." Arthur put his hand over Tick's. "I'm very tired."  
"Still? You've slept a lot."

"Yeah…" Arthur stretched. "My bones are sore. I feel like someone's chewed up and then put back together my muscles. I don't want to sleep anymore."

"Then what will we do?"

Arthur shrugged. "Watch tv?" He suggested. He took Tick's hand and stood up with him. "I'll put on your favorite show."

Tick brightened. "Whoopee!" He held Arthur's hand with care, always cautious of their strength difference. They walked back to the living room and settled very contentedly onto the couch. 

Arthur turned on the show, then put the remote down and leant into Tick's chest.

It sort of freaked Arthur out that he couldn't hear anything under Tick's suit, like a heartbeat. Did he even have a heart? Of course he must have, unless he was really some sort of robot. 

Arthur pressed his cheek into the thick suit. It was soft. The old armor had been very hard, and he was happy Tick had-- shed? Molted?-- and was more soft now. He stretched his legs out over the superhero's lap. "I might need to get some coffee in me." 

"I have it! Don't you worry a lovely little curl of yours." He got up and went to the kitchen. When he came back, he handed Arthur a big mug. 

"Oh," Arthur took it. "That's a lot of coffee. I don't think I'll finish it all."

"Only drink as much as you need, then!" Tick settled back down beside him. 

As crazy as it sounded, Arthur didn't unhinge his jaw and drink coffee in a scary and inhuman way. He just took a few ginger sips and rested it on his lap, holding it with both of his hands covered. "Thank you."

"It's no problem."

Arthur shyly moved closer, and Tick wrapped a thick arm around his shoulder without a second thought. "I love the way that man acts," Tick pointed at the screen. "He's very talented."

"At acting? Of course, it's his job, after all. You'd be a good actor. You have a lot of confidence."

"Do you think that's what I am?"

Arthur shook his head. "Acting is an occupation, not a species."  
"What's an occupation?"

Arthur put his cup down after another sip, then laid down with his head on Tick's shoulder. It's something you spend your time doing. Like a job. Your job is to be a superhero."

"Oh!" Tick's antennae wiggled in excitement. "I don't think of it as as job as much as I see it my duty! My passion, above all! Oh, to protect people." He embraced Arthur in his strong arms. "That is what I enjoy the most to occupation in my life."

"That's nice." Arthur leant his head against Tick. He sipped some more coffee, but his stomach felt full and the coffee was a little too hot for Arthur to enjoy, so he put the mug down. "I think I've had enough coffee."


End file.
